Jersey summer concerts: The 12 shows you must see this year

It's the 50th anniversary of the PNC Bank, Garden State Arts Center in Holmdel.

Chris Jordan

Grab you ear plugs, suntan lotion and favorite concert boots — the warm weather concert season is upon us.

There are big shows at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, a full season of concerts at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, more than 20 shows scheduled for the Stone Pony Summer Stage, next to the ocean in Asbury Park, and even Britney Spears, of all people, at the Borgata in Atlantic City.

The crowd at the The Nobody Safe Tour with Future at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel on ...more

The crowd at the The Nobody Safe Tour with Future at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel on Thursday, May 18, 2017.

Doug Hood

Check out our list of 15 can’t miss shows, and the schedules of the concert venues here in the state. See you at the shows.

Kevin Hart

You got to have Hart. And now we do. It’s going to be hard to miss comedian Kevin Hart this summer. He has multiple New Jersey shows for his hit “The Kevin Hart Irresponsible Tour” coming up.

They include May 26 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City; July 14 at the BB&T Pavilion in Camden; July 28 at the Prudential Center in Newark; and Sept. 29 at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel.

Little man, big laughs — no matter where you are.

Scenes from KCON 2015 at Prudential Center.

Scenes from KCON 2015 at Prudential Center.

CJ E&M

KCON 2018

KCON 2018 — it’s so much more than K-Pop, or Korean pop, groups. There’s also the latest on Korean food, fashion, television, film, esports and more in store for the big weekend in Newark, June 23 and 24.

That must be why more than 128,000 fans came out last year. You’ll see A-list concerts, celebrity meet and greets, as well as workshops and panels that cover every aspect of Korean culture and entertainment. Folks, we’ve moved well beyond “Gangnam Style.”

Barely two weeks after the Rolling Stones stopped at the Bradley Center, the Milwaukee arena hosted ...more

Barely two weeks after the Rolling Stones stopped at the Bradley Center, the Milwaukee arena hosted the third-highest-grossing tour of the decade: U2's "Vertigo Tour," with a Bradley Center stop on Sept. 25, 2005.

Mary Jo Walicki

U2

In 2015, it was the Innocence + Experience Tour for U2. Last year, it was a the Joshua Tree 2017 Tour. Now, it’s the Experience + Innocence Tour, which comes to the Prudential Center in Newark on June 29.

The show will feature multiple performance areas and a hyped-up super high-res LED screen, nine-times the resolution of the 2015 tour screen. We hear they play some pretty good rock ‘n' roll songs, too.

The 2013 Van Warped Tour at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel.

The 2013 Van Warped Tour at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel.

Asbury Park File Photo

Vans Warped Tour

After the summer of 2018, the Warped Tour as we know it will be no more. Founder Kevin Lyman has announced that the 2018 tour will be the last “full cross-country run” of the famed punk rock tour. Since 1995, when No Doubt, Sublime, the Deftones and more set up camp in Asbury Park during the Warped Tour’s inaugural run, the festival has had a distinctly Jersey feel over the decades.

Warped help boost the careers of older Jersey punks like the Bouncing Souls, and it gave a stage to up-and-coming Jersey bands like Thursday and My Chemical Romance. Now, it’s one last dance on July 14 at PNC Bank Arts Center, with headliners 3OH!3, All Time Low, Bowling for Soup, Simple Plan and more set to play.

Charlie Puth

Who’s the next superstar from the Jersey Shore? It’s Charlie Puth, said Jon Bon Jovi to Access on the red carpet during the iHeartRadio Music Awards on March 11 at the Forum in Los Angeles.

“Charlie Puth is from Rumson, New Jersey, which is where we’re from,” said Bon Jovi, a native of Sayreville who has a home in Middletown. “So for 110 years, it was just us and the E Street Band and now Charlie Puth gets to claim to be from our neck of the woods.”

Puth doesn’t have a show at this Shore this summer, but his headlining “Voicenotes” tour with Hailee Steinfield comes to Radio City Music Hall in New York City on July 16 and the BB&T Pavilion in Camden on July 24.

Dave Matthews Band

There’s something about the music of the Dave Matthews Band that makes it a perfect match for the PNC Bank Arts. Maybe it’s the cool saxophone, or the stirring violin? Maybe it’s Matthews’ acoustic guitar strumming and raspy voice.

Whatever it is, it’s a hit — they’ve been playing Holmdel for a long time now. The band returns on July 18 and they should have a new album out soon, too.

Britney Spears performs at the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 24, ...more

Britney Spears performs at the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 24, 2016 in Las Vegas.

KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES

Britney Spears

She’s back. After a four-year residency at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas, Britney Spears is back on the road. The former teen star plays the Borgata in Atlantic City from July 19 to 21. The Atlantic City shows will be her first in Jersey since 2011, and it’s about time.

There are always second acts in show biz, and the curtain is coming up again for Spears. How is she doing? People magazine reports that she recently found her classic white booty shorts, so life must be good.

Taylor Swift

How popular is Taylor Swift? Her recent album, “Reputation,” just sold more than 2 million units. It’s the first to do so since Adele’s “25.”

Who says the album format is dead? Swift has three shows, July 20 to 22, at MetLife, and she’s bringing two rising female artist with her: Charlie XCX and Camila Cabello, the ex-member of Fifth Harmony who has a smash hit with “Havana.”

Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson

Manson made news this spring. He criticized a Huntington, Long Island, audience for not being responsive enough and he had his back to the crowd for much of the show.

He ended the show after a rambling, open-ended guitar jam, according to Newsday. He rebounded at his next show — at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville. Now we ask, will Manson be on his best behavior in Holmdel? He will at PNC along with Rob Zombie on July 24.

Beyonce and Jay-Z perform at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in ...more

Beyonce and Jay-Z perform at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in 2014.

Robert Hanashiro/USAToday

Beyonce and Jay-Z

The On the Run II tour comes to MetLife Stadium Aug. 2 and 3 with a backdrop of introspective albums from both Beyonce and Jay-Z. Bey’s “Lemonade” and Jay-Z’s “4:44” were largely personal statements of self and of the world around them — and that includes their spouses. They’re two distinctly different artists, so it will be fun to watch how they mesh their music together this time.

Boy George and Culture Club with Thompson Twins

The Stone Pony Summer Stage has delivered a hot ‘80s revival show in each of the last few years. This summer it’s Boy George and the Culture Club with the Thompson Twins on Aug. 3.

What will they play, what will they wear, what will their hair look like? Oh the drama. It’s called “The Life” tour, and it’s sure to be a lively affair. These guys have the hits, from “Karma Chameleon” to "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me," an anti-bullying anthem before there was such a thing.

Before arriving in Asbury Park, the show hits the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown on July 31.